A Different Game
by SherlockianWhovian
Summary: It's not John who steps out from the shadows of the swimming pool in The Great Game, it's someone completely unexpected...


"Evening. This is a turn-up, isn't it, Sherlock?" came the voice from the shadows of the swimming pool.

Sherlock turned and raised his gun, his eyes focused on the figure in the shadows. He couldn't contain his slight gasp as he saw who stepped out into the light.

"Mycroft. What the hell...?" he murmured, keeping the gun trained on his brother.

"Bet you never saw this coming." Mycroft said, stepping closer towards Sherlock.

Sherlock put his gun into his pocket and rushed forward, opening the coat that Mycroft wore to reveal a bomb strapped to his brother's chest.

"What...would you like me...to make him say...next?" Mycroft spoke softly as a sniper's laser danced across the bomb on his chest.

"Stop it!" Sherlock hissed, taking a few steps away from Mycroft as he looked up into the darkness of the pool, trying to work out where the sniper was.

"Nice touch, this: the pool where little Carl died. I stopped him. I can stop Mycroft Holmes too. Stop his heart." Mycroft continued to speak, glancing down at the sniper laser that was directed at him.

"Stop it. Speak to me yourself, coward!" Sherlock shouted at the empty pool, strolling over to his brother and moving to remove the earpiece. His hand stilled and his thought process faltered as he saw that Mycroft didn't have an earpiece.

"Didn't expect this, did you?" Mycroft said with a slight smirk, stepping back as he watched his brother try to work out what was happening.

"It's you? How? How can you be Moriarty? That doesn't make sense!" Sherlock demanded.

A dark laugh erupted from the shadows of the pool.

"He's not Moriarty. I am. Hello!" the Irishman in the Westwood suit called as he stepped out into the light.

Mycroft's gaze didn't move from his brother's confused face as Jim Moriarty casually made his way around the edge of the pool until he stood beside Mycroft.

"You didn't think I could do it." Mycroft spoke softly to Jim, glancing over at him.

"I underestimated you, Iceman. You were very impressive." Jim replied with a smirk, "You were impressed, weren't you, Sherlock?"

"I don't understand..." Sherlock admitted, looking between his brother and Moriarty.

"It's simple really, Sherly. I wanted to have a criminal empire and the only way to do that is to own the government. So how do I own the government, I hear you say. I own Mycroft, that's how." Jim said in his sing-song Irish lilt.

"Not own, James." Mycroft pointed out, looking at Moriarty.

"Sorry, yes, not own." Moriarty replied, rolling his eyes, "I control or influence Mycroft, therefore controlling and influencing the government."

"Mycroft? How?" Sherlock asked, "How did this happen?"

"You know how it is, Sherlock. We are unique people who only enjoy the company of others with supreme intelligence. James and I bonded." Mycroft replied with a shrug.

Moriarty surged forward and pulled Mycroft down into a tight headlock, pressing the barrel of a loaded gun against his temple, "I have you exactly where I want you." he chuckled playfully.

Sherlock frowned, watching the two of them. "You like the danger. The adrenaline. He could kill you at any moment." he deduced, his eyes sweeping over his brother's unresistant form.

"James is unpredictable. It is rather thrilling to have some unpredictability in one's life." Mycroft replied, standing back up to his full height as Moriarty let him go.

"And Mycroft is ever so predictable. He's also very obedient." Jim replied, pressing the loaded gun into Mycroft's hand, "Put it against your head and pull the trigger." he ordered with a smirk, looking over at Sherlock.

"No!" Sherlock gasped, surging forward as Mycroft put the gun against his head and pulled the trigger. The gun clicked but didn't fire.

Both Moriarty and Mycroft laughed, enjoying their game of Russian roulette.

"What is the point of this show? Why have you both been playing with me this whole time?" Sherlock demanded.

"Because it's fun to watch you dash about London on your moral crusade. I like to set you tests, to see what you can do, to see how your mind works." Moriarty replied, "I'm not done yet, I just wanted to say hello. I'll be seeing you again soon."

"I could shoot you right now." Sherlock hissed, raising his gun.

"You could. But you won't." Jim called as he walked away, "Toodles!"

Sherlock watched as the door swung shut behind Moriarty before he looked back at his brother.

"Come along then. There's no point in staying here in the dark." Mycroft said, walking forward.

"The bomb." Sherlock stated, looking at the flashing device that was under his brother's coat.

"Oh. That." Mycroft sighed, taking the coat off and pulling the bomb off. He threw it into the swimming pool and led the way out.

"Are you going to explain yourself? Technically what you're doing is corrupt." Sherlock said as they walked.

"We live amongst goldfish, brother. We must do what we can to survive the boredom." Mycroft replied, not looking back as the bomb exploded in the pool behind them.


End file.
